Elmcrest Children’s Center Syracuse, NY

About Elmcrest Founded in 1845 by a group of elderly women Started out as a school to help kids who's parents could not afford to send them to school then later developed to help all children, it was even an orphanage at one point. Elmcrest is there to help children of all ages whether it be for behavioral issues or issues at home and much more There are 6 different locations between Syracuse, Cortland and Binghamton. The main campus is the one down the road on Salt Springs Road

About Elmcrest Elmcrest provides services and treatment to residents both on and off their campus. An off campus service is the community based programs where the child can receive services from home. Elmcrest provides education services right on their campus to children beginning at daycare all the way to high school. Elmcrest offers special services for children with developmental disabilities as well.

The Process First a child is sent to diagnostics to determine what treatment program will best fit them, they stay there until the decision is made. Females do not receive a diagnostic evaluation but there have been evaluations still done for them. Then once that is determined they will move into their residential building and start their program. On this campus there are 12 different buildings. Some of the 12 buildings are residential buildings where the children live depending on what program they are assigned to.

The Campus They have the gym and fitness center, the literacy center and basketball courts outside. There is also always a nurse on campus at all times. Then there is the day care, pre school and day school for the children. They have residential buildings for both females and males, these residential buildings are called cottages then followed by the number of the cottage. There are 3 critical care cottages where kids who need more attention are placed. There are two special supervision and treatment cottages for children who have been sexually abused or have sexually abused someone There is an emergency center where children can be placed until the court figures out a more permanent home for them.

My Program The program I work with is the juvenile sex offenders. In this program: Specialized Sexual Abuse Services is a program for juvenile delinquent sex offenders offered clinical assessment and treatment services provided to youth who reside on the Elmcrest Campus or in the community who have a history of committing sexually harmful behaviors or have been victims themselves. SSAS provides Sexual Behavior Risk Assessments as well as Victim Trauma Assessments to clarify a child’s risk for having sexual behavior problems in the future and to provide treatment and supervision recommendations. Assessments can be requested to be completed as part of a child’s diagnostic evaluation, during residential care at Elmcrest or on an outpatient basis as requested by the child’s county. Depending on the youth’s specific treatment needs, he or she may receive weekly or biweekly individual therapy, weekly group therapy and/or bi-weekly family therapy. SSAS treatment focuses on safety planning, responsibility, empathy for victims, and healthy boundaries. Victim trauma treatment focuses on healing, empowerment, healthy boundaries, coping skills, and developing a sense of control over one’s own life.

My Internship When I am there I get to observe how the boys go through their everyday routine. I build relationships with each of them and act as a staff member. The boys in this program are on a strict routine. They know exactly what is suppose to happen at what time and it very rarely changes They know what their expectations and objectives are that they are required to follow. They are the same everyday. Each day they receive points based on if they reached their individual objectives. With these points they can cash them in for rewards such as using the PlayStation or going on a store trip or movie and once they receive enough points they can move up to a new phase. There are four phases that need to be completed before being able to finish the program

On Sundays the boys get to vote on what they will have for dinner throughout the week as well as voting on what their 7:00 activity will be such as basketball or volleyball in the gym for example If the boys receive consequences they usually lose their activity time The administrators try to schedule different off grounds events for the boys who have good behavior as in incentive for them to continue behaving well The boys receive group counseling everyday and individual counseling throughout the week When I am there I am able to have dinner with them and participate in their 4:00 and 7:00 activity time where we usually play card and board games. Also we all go to the gym for a game that they previously chose. Overall it is interesting seeing how they improve over the weeks or even in some cases how they do not improve at all

Staff The staff consists of the administrators who always check in to every cottage every night then a report of the night to all the managers. Then there are the supervisors which in my program there are two. Next there are shift supervisors and there is always a shift supervisor or a supervisor on duty for the evening shift. Then there are part time and full time employees. The ratio is one staff member to 3 of the boys. In our program the boys always have to be under supervision. They are unable to move around the cottage freely on their own.

Staff and Client Interactions Each boy receives a mentor which is one of the staff members. The staff member is there to get to know the child and be someone they can go to for advice as well as support and look up to Each member has time to play games and interact with the child as well as still being the adult and providing structure and discipline The relationship depends. All children have to respect the staff and they do but when they are being yelled at or disciplined for their actions they will talk back and get mad or be rude towards staff like any child would

Rewarding -Seeing the boys move up to a new phase and be excited about it their achievement -Seeing the boys complete treatment and go home -When a resident makes improvements in behavior and achieves their goals -Getting to bond and make a good relationship with the residents -Helping the residents with normal day to day activities and getting them to be more proactive such as teaching them norms in life like chores, school and behavior.

Stressful -Working with boys who have been there for 3 years and not seeing any progress -Constantly fighting with boys over expectations that they already know -The boys will push their limits and see what they can get away with When residents do not listen to your prompts Controlling more than one resident at a time when both are angry and upset Keeping an eye on all the residents when things get out of control Documenting everything that goes on during the day with each resident. If things are not documented and something goes into investigation you can be in a lot of trouble with the agency, lawyers and the New York State Justice Center

How to relieve stress Recently they found a way to give staff members a 30 minute break for 8 hour shifts so that staff members could have a break from the boys and come back refreshed Many of the staff go to the gym as a stress reliever Some listen to music All of them said spending time with family and friends helps. Even pets help relieve their stress. Playing sports Being active in any way just to take their mind off of work related things

Pay and Benefits Entry level pay is $14-$18 per hour Supervisors make $35,000-$40,000 yearly Benefits are health insurance, dental insurance. They all receive 24 paid vacation days which includes holidays and sick days 401k retirement plan